The Kids Aren't Alright
by BeethovenRIP
Summary: Stuck on a back street, immobile and powerless to do anything thanks to Control, Jeff and Dixie just have to wait it out. A simple statement by a rioter has a profound affect on one of the Colliers which causes them to assess their relatioonship. This is based on the red Button epiode from Saturday. Please read and review.


_**A / N – A quick ONESHOT for you. I had the idea after watching the Red Button on Saturday but felt they could have explored their relationship a little more than they did. **_

_**Enjoy. **_

Jeff sat on the back step of the ambulance; he was deep in thought after his run in with the rioter. Something he had said touched a chord with Jeff and made him rethink his own situation, the words kept on ringing in his head – 'I'm a good dad'.

'You are going soft in your old age' Dixie said as she moved to clean the wound on his forehead.

'Well, he was just a Kid wasn't he?'

'You've change your tune.' She replied noticing he had taken his wallet out of his pocket. Eyeing him curiously, she said 'what you doing'

Jeff pulled out a photo of his children and showed it to her. 'Haven't you got a more recent snap than that?' she asked moving back to clean his wound.

'No, we are not really communicating at the moment.'

'Why?'

Jeff looked away from his wife and focussed on the floor. Dixie continued to clean his wound as she spoke 'if you don't tell me, I am gonna divorce you and I will take the dog.'

'It's hard to explain'

'Well try'

'We haven't been talking since….. we haven't communicated…. We haven't been talking since we got married.' Jeff looked straight into Dixie's eyes.

'Yeah, well they know why we did it though don't they?' Jeff looked away again prompting Dixie to cal his name.

'No' was all he could muster.

'Well it's my fault then aint it?' Dixie replied looking at the ground fiddling with the wipe she was using to clean Jeff with.

'What?...No, don't be daft.'

Moving to sit next to her husband, Dixie spoke 'so why haven't we talked about this?'

'What's there to talk about, how do you tell your children you married a lesbian and you are only the second best pool player in the house.'

Both raised a slight smile at this thought before Jeff continued. 'When I was that kids age, I had dreams, flash house, flash car, flash bird, kids that adored me.'

'Instead you ended up with a live in lesbian and a Labrador?'

'Yeah.'

'Did you want a divorce then?' Dixie asked staring straight ahead while she spoke. This took Jeff completely by surprise as he swung around to face her looking shocked and hurt at what she had just said.

'What? …No, ….I don't want a divorce. Do you?'

'I didn't realise you hadn't spoken to your kids because of our marriage and I don't want to be the cause of you not speaking to them. If us not being married means you spend time with them, I would do that for you.'

'Are you saying you want out now?'

Dixie focused on the floor again, truth was, and she didn't want to divorce him. She loved being with him and could not imagine life without him by her side. Jeff didn't take his eyes off her until she responded. He didn't want a divorce and was relieved when she shook her head.

'Dix, I meant what I said when we got married, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to spend the next 40 years with you. You mean more to me than any other woman I have been with.' Jeff blushed at this last point, and avoided making eye contact with his wife.

'But if you are not happy, I don't want to stop you being with your kids or having this 'flash bird'.

'I am happy trust me Dix. It's just what that kid said; it just stuck a chord that's all.'

'You married me to do me a favour with my Dad, we agreed on an open marriage Jeff.'

'Yeah, but let's face it Dix, neither of us have been with anyone else but each other. For a straight man and a lesbian, we have been faithful to each other. In the 12 years I was married to Lucy, I don't think either of us was faithful for that long, we have been married for 2 and a half years, I wouldn't o anything to spoil it, you know that don't you? '

Both smiled at this comment, they secretly knew they had remained totally faithful to each other even if their relationship wasn't conventional.

Dixie smiled to herself and let out a small laugh causing Jeff to look at her.

'What is it babe?'

'Nothing was just thinking about when we first met. You jumped out the back of a van and were a complete pain the whole shift.'

'Yeah, I remember, you didn't really take to me did you?'

'Not immediately, no. But, as the weeks went on, things changed. Who would have thought it, five years ago, that we would end up working with each other, living together, have a dog and be married? If Josh, Cyd and Greg were here now, they would be completely shocked wouldn't they?'

'I wouldn't change any of it for the world. You know that don't you? I do not regret a single moment I have spent with you. I don't regret marrying you. Yeah, so it isn't a conventional marriage in that sense, but, we share a lot of things like married couples do.' Jeff looked again at the photo he was holding before running his finger over their faces placing it back into his wallet. 'We share a house, a dog, a car, bank accounts, the same surname, everything. The only thing we don't do is…well, you know.'

Dixie smiled 'Yeah, we bicker like a married couple as well.'

'We certainly do.' Jeff responded before looking down the road to see what was going on.

'Well, you know what you have got to do don't you? Call them, call John's mobile, you won't have to speak to Lucy.'

'You cannot be serious, in the middle of all this?'

'Yes.'

Dixie headed back into the ambulance to sort out the response kit leaving Jeff to make the call to his son. She listened to what he was saying, asking him how his football was going, asking him to get in touch, giving his love to his sister. Dixie realise just how much Jeff loves his children and was hit with sadness that she was the cause of them not speaking. Sitting back down on the step, she watched Jeff pace around in front of her leaving the message before he hung up and returned to sit by her.

'That wasn't so hard was it?'

'No, guess not.' Looking over at Dixie, he could tell that she had something on her mind. He felt guilty for telling her about how he felt, he knew she would blame herself for it, but she had nothing to be sorry for. Jeff shuffled closer to Dixie putting an arm around her shoulder pulling her over to his side. Dixie fell onto his shoulder resting her head against his as she placed a hand on his leg.

'I meant it Dix, I don't regret a single thing and I don't want you to either.' Jeff said placing a light kiss on the top of her head.

Dixie nodded in response before a firework shot past them causing them to jump.

'We are a pair of sitting ducks here.' Dixie said feeling a little bit scared at what was going on.

'Right, we do this on foot if we have to, you and me Mrs Collier.' Jeff said jumping up to shut the back doors.

'With you all the way Mr Collier, with you all the way.'

Closing the back doors, Dixie and Jeff joined hand in hand before heading off up the street into the night. Jeff had made contact with his children and opened up to his wife, things were good and that is how they were going to stay. They were happy with each other and content to grow old together.

'Thank you Mrs Collier.'

'What for?

'giving me the courage to phone my kids and for being my wife.'

'You don't need to thank me, are you sure you didn't take a harder knock to the head, you are really going soft.'

'Nah Babe, I am just happy.'

With that, they smiled at each other and continued off into the night by each other's side.


End file.
